Maybe I'm in love with you
by mtranc3
Summary: Two drunken boys in a Parisian alleyway, and the love story that never was.


**Title: **Maybe i'm in love with you**  
Author: **mtranc3**  
Genre: **Romance**  
Rating: **PG-13**  
Spoilers: **For the end of Draco Veritas. Not any for the HP books in particular.**  
Summary: **Two drunken boys in a Parisian alleyway, and the love story that never was.**  
Warnings: **Self-indulgence. Un-beta'd. Also, pardon my French, no literally, it's not my first language.**  
Author's Notes: **This is Draco Veritas fanfiction, because I love Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogy. My story doesn't do justice to Cassie's take on the characters in the least, but I was one of the people who saw slash subtext everywhere in the DT, and I couldn't resist writing an H/D outtake.**  
Disclaimer: **Characters belong to J.K. Rowling, no profit is being made. Based on Cassandra Claire's Draco Trilogy universe. The title is a line from the song 'The whole of the law' by Yo la tengo.

"...Je me demande si votre petit ami la et vous, voudrons prendre une boisson avec moi?"

"Merci Monsieur, nous partirons maintenant. Et il est un ami seulement." Draco said winking.

The man smiled politely "Ah. Une autre fois peut-etre."

Draco nodded "Désolé."

Harry made his way towards their table, he legs a bit wobbly.

"I took care of the bill, can you stand up?"

"Are you implying that I'm drunk Potter?"

"You drank one bottle of that Gr... Grand... whatever it was called. And then we each had about 6 shots of whisky, I'd say we're pretty smashed."

"Ah, speak for your self, I can handle my drink just fine."

Draco snarled, fighting with the beret he took on to wearing while in Paris. In the end he tucked it unceremoniously inside his pocket. Maybe he was drunker than he thought.

"I can see that."

"Shut up Potter."

They went out the back, in a small alley that led to the Champs-Élysées avenue where their hotel was. Paris had a wonderful and vivid wizarding society, but they stayed in the Muggle part of the city to be close to the sights and museums. Draco had insisted they visited as many as they could, nagging about Harry's lack of aesthetics when it came to anything artistic, but Harry conceded as long as they got to experience life in Paris as locals, and hence the small bistro they had visited a couple of times so far. Technically, it was in the centre but quite secluded from the main streets, and one would have to know what one was looking for to spot it. The atmosphere was cozy, and the service excellent. Maybe that's why Harry liked it so much; even in Muggle neighbourhoods he preferred to be away from the spotlight.

They walked in companionable silence occasionally bumping into each other in camaraderie, something that Draco would never think it possible until now, but traveling had brought them closer together in a sense, even the fact that they were staying together, something that Harry had shared only with Ron before.

"Who was that guy that was talking to you on the way out?" Harry suddenly asked.

"Oh, him" Draco chuckled "It was nothing, he wanted to know if me and my boyfriend would like a drink" he said looking the picture of innocence. It took Harry a few moments to catch on.

"Your what? He thought you and I were..." he gestured with his hands abstractedly.

"Apparently."

"Why would he think that?" Harry spluttered in indignation.

"Oh please, two good looking young men like ourselves always seen in the company of one another don't you think would arouse suspicion?"

"You're having me on, aren't you?"

_Why would I do that? Besides I can't lie this way, can I?_

Harry opened his mouth to reply, and then closed it again. It amused Draco to no end that he seemed to have taken the blow to his manhood quite badly.

"Why couldn't we be two chaps simply traveling around together? Why should they think we're gay?" Draco rolled his eyes but Harry went on,

"You, I can understand... I mean, sometimes you _are_ kind of poncy..."

Draco then took him by surprise by pushing him flush against a wall. He held him in place by the neck and raised his fist in a mock way to deliver a punch, and bellowed in a booming voice,

"Who exactly are you calling a ponce, boy?"

Harry chuckled but when he looked up at Draco his face became ashen and his eyes widened.

"What?" Draco lowered his fist "I wasn't going to hit you, you git."

"Nothing..." Harry tried to smile. "it's just that I had a déjà vu."

"You mean us in a Parisian alleyway dillydallying?"

"Who says 'dillydallying' anymore? No," said Harry dislodging himself from Draco "something that happened in Diagon Alley. I er, haven't told you about that..."

"A secret?" Draco raised his eyebrow. "Well it must be a very dirty one if it has you blushing like that." Harry looked up in alarm. "Let's hear it then."

"I don't think -"

"Oh no, you're not wiggling out of this Potter. Besides you know most of my dirty secrets, it's time I got something on you."

Draco unconsciously moved forward so much that Harry would have to dislodge himself to pass, and Harry was effectively trapped.

He exhaled in resignation.

"It was nothing. When I went to the Polyjuice place there was a person pretending to be you, that's all. Now can I move please?"

_I don't think_ _that's all that happened _Draco said in his mind, and was now genuinely curious because of Harry's strange reaction more than anything.

_Draco..._

"You are a very bad liar, so tell me, what happened with this impersonator of mine? I must be terribly popular in that place, it's absolutely natural. So, what was it?"

Harry rolled his eyes but the blush remained, and now he was starting to get irritated on top of everything. Why should he feel embarrassed, it wasn't his fault what happened.

"We were out the back way in an alley, and he kissed me alright?"

If Draco was surprised by this, he didn't show it.

"And you thought it was me, didn't you?"

"Not when he started kissing me you git!" Harry pushed him to move but Draco stood firmly.

"So? How was it?"

"Draco for goodness' sake, I don't remember, I was in shock most of the time!" But Harry did remember; the warm breath, and his elbow scratched by the brick wall behind him.

"I want to know if this person goes around destroying my reputation! You weren't even a customer!"

"Maybe he just liked me, I don't know. Now can we please forget about it?"

"I'll have you know I am a very good kisser."

"Too much information" Harry grimaced, his mood lightening again.

"Do you want to try?"

Harry stilled and looked at Draco ready to tell him off, but his face showed no trace of mockery.

"You're being an idiot Draco." He made to go and Draco didn't stop him this time but said in a low voice

"Don't tell me you've never wondered, because if you do, you'll be a hypocrite."

Harry was beginning to get really pissed off now. He hated it when Draco was in one of those moods, and the topic wasn't particularly something he wanted to argue about.

"Well. I already know how it is, don't I? Thanks to than prat whoever it was..."

"But I don't" Draco said and turned him gently around. Harry's temple was beating from the pulse there, Draco closed in to him and kissed him gently on the mouth. Harry couldn't believe this was happening again, but he couldn't move, or speak, or even breath, even if he wanted to, he was honestly scared at that moment.

Of a kiss.

With Draco.

A dirty alley behind a bar is not the perfect place for a kiss, nor is a half-drunken state of mind ideal. Draco run his tongue to his lower lip, still going slowly, still experimenting, and when he tried to nudge his mouth open, Harry finally found the will to move.

He pushed Draco by the shoulders and stepped away.

Draco's eyes were half-closed and when he looked at Harry questioningly, he only offered '_Not like this'_ as a reply, turned around and begun to walk.

Draco looked down for a moment before he started following him. And they both knew that it wasn't because of the forbidden allure of the thing that Draco wanted to try and Harry was afraid to. Not because of the so-called 'untold want' either. It was because they had passed through all of each other's barriers but that last one. And if they did, they would lose themselves in the other, truly lose themselves, and what would be left in the end... And most importantly, did they want that to happen?

Draco thought of Ginny, maybe that was the reason why he could never make things work with her. And then of Harry, who had given him everything and taken everything, so that Draco was half a man without him anymore.

He concentrated, expecting to find a wall inside Harry's mind.

But he didn't, Harry simply felt sad.

"Harry?"

"Not now Draco."

_Harry..._

"What!" he snapped, folding his arms to his chest. Draco looked curiously at him.

"Remember what you told me in Krum's apartment? "When I..." he trailed off.

"Yes." Harry cut in, finally raising his eyes to look at him. "Of course I do."

"I realized that I never..." he hesitated for a moment and Harry uncrossed his arms. Draco looked him in the eyes and said it so softly that Harry wasn't sure he spoke in his mind at all,

_Me too_ he said, _me too._

_fin_


End file.
